The Butterfly That Swallowed the Fog
Elex Davenport—
‘This… is the wing?’
Tilia struggled to keep her expression calm and steady as she gazed at the magnificent chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
The word “wing” had made her expect a small country estate, but the scale of this place was enough to make her laugh in disbelief. The building, set apart from the main residence, was actually larger and more elegant than the Ambrose family’s entire main mansion.
“Please come this way.”
While staring at the sparkling crystal with a dazed expression, Tilia turned her head at the soft voice.
A perfectly trained maid with a smile that looked painted on appeared before her.
“I’ll guide you to the prepared bedroom.”
Tilia looked at the maid’s kind face, then casually glanced sideways.
The man standing there like a statue carved from iron gave a sharp nod after a long silence.
The maid turned smoothly and headed up the stairs.
Tilia followed Elex and the maid up the grand staircase lined with antique portraits, her steps silent as the maid’s.
Without a sound, the maid finally stopped in front of a door.
She turned and said softly, “Master, for the lady, which room would you like…?”
“No need.”
“Then the bath service…?”
“That’s fine too.”
Elex cut off every polite word from the maid with a cold, warning tone.
“Do not enter until I call you.”
The maid bowed deeply, then retreated at a hurried pace.
……
The entire second floor fell silent as if it had been left alone in some other space once the maid was gone.
In the thick quiet, the only sound was the low creak of the door opening.
Opening the door for someone at a banquet was the most impeccable gesture, yet the wildness hidden in his lowered eyes could not be completely concealed.
Overlooking that as if it were nothing, Tilia stepped past the doorway into the room.
The interior, bathed in gentle light that seemed to flow like water, was luxurious in a way that perfectly reflected its owner’s refined taste.
Tilia slowly walked forward, her eyes flicking from the mahogany table by the window and the soft green curtains, to the curved sofa and bookshelf directly opposite.
At that moment, her gaze was captured by the huge bed with its canopy dominating the center of the room.
Clack.
The sound of the door closing echoed in her ears.
Tilia’s every nerve suddenly focused on her back.
Thunk, thunk.
Footsteps approached her.
She felt the presence of a body radiating heat stop right behind her.
But this was the second time.
Tilia had not felt her heart racing like a mad thing or her blood running cold as before.
Only a faint trace of fear lingered.
‘I’m fine. I’ve already done this before.’
It was nothing.
Taking a deep breath, Tilia erased all traces of tension and turned around with a calm expression.
The instant she turned her head.
Tilia sensed it.
The relationship between them today would never be the same as before.
Without realizing it, her step retreated.
The eyes of the man who had still possessed a sliver of reason when she entered the mansion now lay completely bare.
His clouded gaze no longer held any restraint.
No other emotions could be read there—only raw desire.
She, too, felt her own body tremble slightly.
But Elex noticed first.
“Tilia.”
His head tilted a fraction.
“Why are you running?”
You said the holy water affected you, didn’t you?
The man’s voice came out cracked as he slowly reached out a hand.
That hand, burning with unnatural heat, was heading straight for the edge of her dress.
Tilia watched his long fingers carefully brush against the lace trim near her thigh.
At first, his touch was gentle, almost reverent, thumb and forefinger only.
But the carefulness vanished in the next instant, replaced by a thick, obsessive grip.
Instead of the soft silk he had been caressing, his thick hand—now revealed as a spider pulling its prey—slowly began to drag the hem of her skirt upward.
The contact had started tiny, but soon the massive hand had filled the entire lace edge.
The soft fabric rose higher, exposing the veins on the back of his hand, then the ankle, and just a hint of the pale calf.
“Us.”
Tilia gasped urgently.
“We should… wash first.”
As she spoke, she took another step back.
The dress hem that had been clutched by his hand slipped back down to its original position.
“……Wash?”
But Elex’s face remained hazy, as if he had just woken from a deep sleep.
His eyes stayed fixed, as if they could still see through the fabric below.
“……Why?”
“You said you couldn’t do it without washing.”
“I did?”
It was only now that Elex lifted his head.
He looked as if he couldn’t understand the words he himself was saying or the ones coming from Tilia’s mouth.
“When?”
“That night, in your dormitory room!”
Tilia snatched the remaining hem of her skirt from his hand and shouted.
He instinctively tried to grab the soft silk slipping from his fingers, but his hazy eyes slid to Tilia’s furious face.
“You definitely said you couldn’t do it without washing.”
“……”
“So I can’t do it before washing either.
I’m really uncomfortable right now.”
Elex simply stared at her in silence.
In that quiet gaze, Tilia unconsciously hid her sweaty palms behind her back.
Actually, the excuse to wash was merely a way to buy time.
She had no intention of running away.
The walls of this enormous mansion were not high enough to let her slip away with a man this deranged.
She simply wanted a few moments—very few—to think.
To think why she had returned to him.
To think why she had followed this man who had let her go so easily.
Of course, while she was at it, it would be nice if Elex Davenport could regain some of his senses.
After all, according to his words, she probably wouldn’t be able to handle today.
“I’ll wash.”
“I want to wash.”
At her stubborn words, Elex, who had been silently watching her, suddenly covered his face with his large hand, accompanied by a heavy sigh.
After taking a deep breath that made his chest heave, he pointed with his chin toward one side.
“The bathroom is over there.
It should be ready.”
Right after speaking, he released the hand covering his face and said without even looking at Tilia.
“I’ll wash somewhere else.
Wait here.”
His eyes, barely visible, seemed to regain a sliver of reason.
Still, it was impossible to be certain, since the man had immediately turned and left the room.
Krung.
The heavy door slammed shut again.
Tilia shivered at the sound before quickly turning her body toward the direction he had pointed.
As expected, the bathroom was breathtakingly luxurious.
At the very end of the bathroom stood a grand tub of beautifully veined granite, with a large window behind it.
It looked like the perfect spot to enjoy fresh greenery on a sunny day.
On this dark night, all it reflected was the bathroom’s interior like a mirror.
Huff.
Tilia stared straight at her reflection in the black glass and slowly began to undress.
When she removed the heavy dress that George had hastily forced on her, a pale-faced woman stood in its place.
A naked woman with skin as pale as porcelain—something that had nothing to do with the overly extravagant bathroom.
Tilia stared at her own reflection in the window for a moment, then walked briskly toward the tub and stepped inside, hurriedly turning on the water.
Warm water poured over her body.
Tilia let the water run over her as she carefully recalled everything that had happened today.
First, she had gone to the social club to meet Brad Reynolds.
After dealing with him as planned, she had run into Elex Davenport on the way out.
While being dragged away by his hand, she had encountered Gregory Myers, who was holding a knife…
‘……No.’
Tilia shook her head slightly, biting her lip as she recalled the final sight of Gregory—bloody and sprawled on the floor.
The next, the next event was important.
Elex had drunk the holy water that Gregory had brought without hesitation.
If her memory was correct, she had retreated and knocked the bottle away.
Only because she had covered his nose and mouth did he have no choice but to drink it directly.
Yes.
That was it.
He had inhaled the smoke that made his head spin because of her.
Therefore, she had a duty to help him somehow.
On top of that, even after drinking the antidote, her body had been affected by the strong holy water.
Ever since she had seen the look in his eyes in the carriage, as if he wanted to lay her on the floor right then.
The restless feeling deep inside her lower abdomen was unmistakably the same sensation she had felt after drinking the holy water.
Yes.
That was why.
Tilia muttered the same words over and over, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
Once she sorted her mind, clarity finally returned.
The only reason she had followed the man was the sense of duty that came with what she had to do and the surging lust that refused to be ignored.
There was nothing more.
Alright.
Tilia, having firmly resolved her reasons, turned to put on the robe the maid had prepared.
Creak.
A sinister sound accompanied the slow opening of the bathroom door.